TSPSC Group – I Mains,2024 Material useful for Paper - I : General Essay ; Biotechnology in Environmental cleanup process for Paper V : Science and Technology Environment (Biotechnology in Environmental cleanup process)

 

TSPSC Group – I Mains,2024

Material useful for Paper - I : General Essay

&

Paper V : Science and Technology

 

Environment (Biotechnology in Environmental cleanup process)

 

For  Examination guidance purpose only

For any clarification please refer to the prescribed text books

 

Time : 3 Hours                                                                                      Marks : 150 

 

Note : Answer all questions. Answer ONE question from each section.

Answer to each question should be limited to around 1000 words. All questions carry equal marks .

For GENERAL ESSAY PAPER :

Syllabus :

Section-I 1. Contemporary Social Issues and Social Problems. 2. Issues of Economic Growth and Justice.

Section-II 1. Dynamics of Indian Politics. 2. Historical and Cultural Heritage of India.

Section-III 1. Developments in Science and Technology. 2. Education and Human Resource Development

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 Paper V : Science and Technology :

Syllabus:

II. Modern Trends in application of knowledge of Science:

1. Crop Science in India; Characteristics of Plants - Crop plants, Forest species, Medicinal Aromatic plants, Useful and Harmful plants and utility for mankind.

2. Concept of Biotechnology and application of genetic engineering and Stem Cell Research. Biotechnology in Agriculture (bio-fertilizers,

bio - pesticides, bio- fuels, tissue culture, cloning) and Environment (Biotechnology in Environmental cleanup process)

3. Food bio-technology, Food safety and Food quality standards, Food Laws and Regulations. Recent trends in organic farming and farm mechanization. Safe Drinking Water – Defluoridation and other Techniques.

4. Microbial infections; Introduction to bacterial, viral, protozoal and fungal infections. Basic knowledge of infections caused by different groups of micro organisms- diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera, tuberculosis, malaria, viral infections like HIV, encephalitis, chikungunya, bird flu- preventive measures during out breaks.

 5. Vaccines: Introduction to immunity, Fundamental concepts in vaccination and traditional methods of vaccine production ( production of DPT and Rabies vaccine), Production of modern vaccines (production of Hepatitis Vaccine).

 

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Environment (Biotechnology in Environmental cleanup process)

 

 

Introduction:

 

Environmental pollution is a major problem in the present era. Every time, we are consuming toxicants with our food, water, air and all other things. There is an urgent need to solve this for sustaining human life on the earth. The use of environmental biotechnology can help to solve the problem. Biotechnological tools refer to the scientific processes with the chemistry of living organisms. The main mode of action of these biotechnological tools is developing new and alternative methods. The main objective of the application of biotechnological tools is in the maintenance of the natural and aesthetic beauty of the environment. The principal areas include the use of biomarkers, bioenergy, bioremediation and biotransformation. Using biotechnology tools can help to save our environment. It can help in purification of air, decrease water pollution, management of waste etc. Appropriate use of this technology has the potential to make our environment free from pollutions

 

 

 

Biotechnology applications and processes can efficiently clean up hazardous wastes better than most other conventional methods and greatly reduce dependence on waste cleanup techniques such as incineration or hazardous waste dumpsites. Environment biotechnology involves a wide range of biotech applications such as bioremediation, biorestoration, biosensors as pollution detectors, environmental engineering, wastewater treatment, renewable energy technologies, etc.

 

 

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Question: What are the applications of Biotechnology in environment protection?

 

Ans :

Biotechnology has many applications in the environment protection including :-

 

1)Bioremediation: Uses microorganisms, or enzymes to clean up pollutants in soil and water , such as oil spills and contaminated ground water

2)Phytoremediation: Uses plants to remove pollutants from soil or water

3)Biosensors: Combine biological components with electronic components to detect pollutants, gases, and other molecules

4) Biomarkers: Respond to chemicals to measure the effect of pollution

5) Biofuels: Produced from biomass in a short time span, rather than the slow natural processes that form fossil fuels.

6)Industrial biotechnology: Uses biotechnology to produce biofuels, bioplastics, and biodegradable materials with the goal of reducing environmental impact

7)Biological de-odorization: Uses microorganisms to decompose foul smell compounds

8)Bio-descrubbing : Uses microbial methods to detoxify or de-odorize waste effluents

 

Question:  What are the benefits of Environmental Biotechnology ?

 

Ans :

1)The significant benefits of environmental biotechnology are that it helps us to make our environment safer and cleaner for future use.

2) It helps the organisms and therefore, the engineers seek helpful ways for adopting to the changes in the environment and keep it clean

3)It helps us to avoid hazardous pollutants and wastes, which can affect the natural resources and our environment.

4)We must do social development in such a way that it helps us to not only protect our environment but also further development.

5)It also has a major role in the removal of pollutants

6)Scientists and environmentalists have an advantage because of this field’s development to convert the waste to reusable products.

7)The applications of environmental biotechnology have become a beneficial factor for our environment. The applications include genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics, sequencing and imaging techniques which provide a large quantity of information and alternative methods to improve and protect our environment.

 

 

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Question: What are the different tools used in environmental biotechnology ?

 

Ans :

The different tools used in environmental biotechnology are as follows:-

 

1) Biomarkers: Biomarkers can be otherwise called a biological marker. Biomarkers can be used to detect pollution properly. For example, several aquatic organisms are used as pollution biomarkers. The recent application and or studies of biomarkers and its correlation at the omics era, has revalorized new roles of biomarkers in environmental biotechnology. Some of the common biomarkers actually used are : pigments, cytochrome P4501A enzyme induction, acetylcholinesterase inhibition, DNA integrity and metallothiones.

 

2) Bioenergy: The collection of biogases, biomass fuels and hydrogen is called bioenergy. Various sectors like industrial domestic and space sectors are the main consumers of biotechnology . As,we know that, finding clean energy is the basic need of the present era, so green energy generation using wastes collected from the organic and biomass wastes is the main aim. The collective purport of Biogas, biomass, fuels, and hydrogen are called the Bioenergy. Most bioenergy comes from forests, agricultural farms, and waste.

 

3) Bioremediation: Bioremediation comes from two words that are ‘bio’ and ‘remediate’. The term ‘remediate’ means solving the problem. In Bioremediation, we use biological entities for solving environmental issues such as contaminated soil or groundwater and much more. The process of changing the hazardous substances into non-toxic compounds, called bioremediation. It will reduce pollution will offer us a better environment . Biodegradation or biological degradation is the phenomenon of biological transformation of organic compounds by living organisms, particularly the microorganisms.

 

(i)Mycoremediation: It is a process in which we use fungi for the operation of decontamination. When the fungal mycelia are used in the process of Bioremediation, it is called mycoremediation. Hence, the mycelium secretes extracellular enzymes and acids that help in breaking down substances such as lignin and cellulose.  These are the building blocks of plant fibers.

 

 

(ii) Landfarming:- Landfarming is a form of bioremediation which involves application of indigenous soil microbes and beneficial soil microorganisms commonly addressed as plant growth promoting microorganisms (PGPM) to rejuvenate the degraded soil. At the beginning of Second World War, numerous pesticides, insecticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers were synthesized and applied to increase agricultural yields. This led to severe degradation of lands, however, the trend did not end and the world witnessed increased amount of pesticides application

 

 

4)Biodegradation:- Biodegradation basically involves the conversion of complex organic molecules to simpler (and mostly non-toxic) ones. The term biotransformation is used for incomplete biodegradation of organic compounds involving one or a few reactions. Biotransformation is employed for the synthesis of commercially important products by microorganisms.

 

Bioremediation refers to the process of using microorganisms to remove the environmental pollutants i.e. the toxic wastes found in soil, water, air etc. The microbes serve as scavengers in bioremediation. The removal of organic wastes by microbes for environmental clean-up is the essence of bioremediation. The other names used (by some authors) for bioremediation are biotreatment, bio-reclamation and bio-restoration.

 

It is rather difficult to show any distinction between biodegradation and bioremediation. Further, in biotechnology, most of the reactions of biodegradation/bioremediation involve xenobiotic.

 

 

5)Xenobiotic:- Xenobiotic (xenos-foregin) broadly refer to the unnatural, foreign and synthetic chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, refrigerants, solvents and other organic compounds. Microbial degradation of xenobiotic assumes significance, since it provides an effective and economic means of disposing of toxic chemicals, particularly the environmental pollutants.

 Pseudomonas — The Predominant Microorganism for Bioremediation: Members of the genus Pseudomonas (a soil microorganism) are the most predominant microorganisms that degrade xenobiotic. Different strains of Pseudomonas, that are capable of detoxifying more than 100 organic compounds, have been identified. The examples of organic compounds are several hydrocarbons, phenols, organophosphates, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycylic aromatics and naphthalene.

 

About 40-50 microbial strains of micro-organisms, capable of degrading xenobiotics have been isolated. Besides Pseudomonas, other good examples are Mycobacterium, Alcaligenes, and Nocardia

 

6)Enzyme Systems for Biodegradation: Several enzyme systems (with independent enzymes that work together) are in existence in the microorganisms for the degradation of xenobiotics. The genes coding for the enzymes of biodegradative pathways may be present in the chromosomal DNA or more frequently on the plasmids. In certain microorganisms, the genes of both chromosome and plasmid contribute for the enzymes of biodegradation. The microorganism Pseudomonas occupies a special place in biodegradation.

 

7)Bio-transformation: It is the most used technology in the manufacturing sector where toxic substances are converted into non-toxic by-products.

 

8)BIO-MAGNIFICATION: The phenomenon of progressive increase in the concentration of a xenobiotic compound, as the substance is passed through the food chain is referred to as bio-magnification or bioaccumulation. For instance, the insecticide DDT is absorbed repeatedly by plants and microorganism. When they are eaten by fish and birds, this pesticide being recalcitrant, accumulates, and enters the food chain. Thus, DDT may find its entry into various animals, including man. DDT affects the nervous systems, and it has been banned in some countries.

 

 

9)Phytoremediation: Phytoremediation is the combination of two words such as ‘phyto’ and ‘remedian’. According to the ancient Greek term, the word ‘phyto’ means plants and ‘remedian’ means restoring balance.  It is a type of Bioremediation in which we use the green plants and microorganisms directly to balance or decline the contaminated soil, sludge, sediments, surface water or groundwater. 

There are several types of phytoremediation processes including :-

(i)Phytoextraction: (the most common method) It uses hyperaccumulating plants, like sunflowers, to take up and store pollutants in roots, stems and leaves.

(ii)Phytometabolism : Plants break down toxic material into non-toxic forms

(iii)Phytovolatization : Plants convert pollutants to a gas released into the atmosphere.

 

10)Biosensors:- Biosensor is an analytical device. The sensor which integrates the biological elements with the Physiochemical transducer to produce an electronic signal is proportional to a single analyte and which is fetched into a detector. The major application of biosensors is for detection and monitoring of various pollutants including heavy metals, organic and inorganic pollutants, toxins, antibiotics and contaminating microorganisms

Types of Biosensors:-

(i)Electrochemical biosensors (ii)Immunosensors (iii)Magnetic biosensors (iv)Thermometric biosensors (v)Acoustic biosensors (vi)Optical biosensors

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1)Bioreactors Landfills: Bioreactor landfill operates to rapidly transform and degrade organic waste.The increase in waste degradation and stabilization is accomplished through the addition of liquid and air to enhance microbial processes.

There are three types of Bioreactors: -

(i)Aerobic

(ii)Anaerobic :Biodegradation occurs in the absence of oxygen (anaerobically) and produces landfill gas. Landfill gas, primarily, Methane, and can be captured to minimize greenhouse gas emissions and for energy projects. 

(ii)Hybrid (Aerobic-Anaerobic)  

 

Decomposition:- Decomposition and biological stabilization of the waste in a bioreactor landfill can occur in a much shorter time frame than in a traditional method.  

 

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Microbial Metabolites :-

(i)Primary metabolites: During the log or exponential phase organisms produce a variety of substances that are essential for their growth, such as nucleotides, nucleic acids, amino acids, proteins, carbohydrates lipids etc., or by-products of energy yielding metabolism such as ethanol, acetone, butanol, etc. This phase is described as the tropophase , and the products are usually called as primary metabolites.

(ii) Secondary Metabolites: As the exponential growth of the microorganisms ceases (i.e., as the trophophase ends), they enter idiophase. Idiophase is  characterized by secondary metabolism wherein the formation of certain metabolites, referred to as secondary metabolites (idiolites) occurs. These metabolites, although not required by the microorganisms, are produced in abundance. The secondary metabolites, however , are industrially very important, and are the most exploited in biotechnology e.g. antibiotics, steroids, alkaloids, gibberellins, toxins.

 

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Question: What are the Functional Roles of Biomarkers in Marine Environmental Applications?

 

Ans :

1)Discrimination between contaminants and the organism

2)Detection of the presence contaminants

3)Early detection of effects (signals for preventive action)

4)Integration of measure of bioavailable pollutants

5)Attribution to exposure and risks to environmental pollutants

6)Detection of changes in ecosystems due to pollutants

7)Prevention of irreversible environmental damage

8)Identification of main routes of exposure at trophic levels

9)Toxicity of chemicals and or effluents undetected (chemicals speciation, absorption and uptake effects)

10)Detection of toxic effects of parent compounds and metabolisable metabolites including contaminants (PAHs and organophosphate)

11)Integration of toxicological interactions  of mixtures of contaminants (various congeners of PCBs, PAHs, metals)measurable to a particular , cellular or tissue target.

 

 

 

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MATERIAL FOR GENERAL ESSAY ON

ROLE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY IN ENVIRONEMENT PROTECTION

 

 

 

The field of environmental biotechnology is a large ‘black box’ that advances each day to fill the gaps and challenges posed by climate change. Biotechnology has paved its way in reducing environmental pollution and water wastage by growing meat without animals. This technology also reduces the usage of antibiotics and chemicals, which are otherwise rampantly used in rearing of cattle and poultry.

 

Biotechnological processes are essential to achieve the circular economy by maximizing the utilization of ever-increasing wastes generated by humans and simultaneously control over-exploitation.

 

Bio-Economy:-

Bio-economy has to be a major component of circular economy which results in low carbon footprints, and promote environmental sustainability. It is important to replace “Gross Domestic Product (GDP)” with “Gross Sustainable Product (GSP)” and biotechnology dominated circular economy can play a very important role to achieve this

 

Environmental biotechnology involves the integration of biological entities, as such, modified/ engineered or processed, to protect and restore the quality of environment/ ecosystems. These processes are largely involved in remediation of land, air and water bodies, plus tackling harmful chemicals or provide green alternatives. For full-scale application of biotechnological process, it has to be first proven with organisms used, the chemical reactions taking place and mechanisms involved, which helps in designing prototype and scale up.

 

 Environmental biotechnological processes mainly involve application of specific microorganisms including bacteria, archaea, fungi, algae, may be along with insects, plants, and enzymes to bio-chemically transform the products or intermediates, which are synthesized during industrial or other anthropogenic activities, in order to abate their toxicity in environment.

 

 

Capability of Microorganisms: -

Over the time of evolution, microorganisms have developed tremendous survival strategies through modification in their genetic make-up or advanced biochemical capabilities, aiding their survival under unfavorable conditions and inhabit the ecosystems where neither plants or animals can survive. This ability of microbes has to be exploited efficiently to restore the ecosystems which have become degraded to extreme levels. Bioremediation through microbes involves various mechanisms such as enzymatic oxidation, enzymatic reduction, bioaugementation, biostimulation, bioleaching, biosorption, bioaccumulation and precipitation.

 

The practical application of bioremediation treating spills and anthropogenic compounds began few decades ago with biotreatment of petroleum hydrocarbons; the technique was reported much effective and budget friendly in comparison to physical and chemical methods. The success story of bioremediation increased its application for treatment of gas station and refinery spills. Plants/ microalgae and their biomasses are being used as sorbants for heavy metals by the involvement of proteins like metallothioneins and metallothionein-like proteins.

 

 

Role of Biotechnology in cleaning the Oil Spills:-

Development of ‘superbugs’ has been a major achievement of genetic engineering, having the capability to degrade wide range of pollutants.

 

In 1989, there was a huge oil spill of 11 million gallons near the Alaska coast, where 3.19 million barrels of oil spilled off in the Gulf of Mexico, popularly known as the “Alaska Oil Spill”. The spill was successfully managed by the process of bioremediation by involving two methods, bio-augmention and biostimulation utilizing oil degrading microbes. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency demonstrated that biodegradation by indigenous microflora along with addition of fertilizers led to changes in hydrocarbon composition and bulk oil weight per unit of beach material, and the rate was two-fold higher as compared to untreated control

 

Microbes which can remove pesticides :-

Biotechnological processes serve as an easy, budget friendly, less time taking, and permanent solutions to remediate and re-fertilize marginal lands without generation of secondary pollutants. Microbes belonging to genera Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Alcaligenes, Arthrobacter, Streptomyces, Staphylococcus, Daedaleadickinsii, Gloeophyllumtrabeum and many others are associated with more than 30% removal of pesticides (including DDT, chlorpyrifos and carbofuran) from soil and water.

 

 

Apart from chemical stresses, lands are also degrading due to climate change induced heat and water stresses and soil salinization. In this context, bioengineering of rhizosphere using biotechnological processes and application of potent halophilic or thermophilic PGPM help in re-designing the rhizosphere for stress mitigation and increased crop yield

 

With the advancement of omic- based technologies, along with advancement in gene editing, several bio-agrochemicals including biofertilizers, biopesticides, bioinsecticides are being synthesized and applied to fields for bioremediation and increase of agriculture productivity in a sustainable manner

 

Newer techniques of RNA silencing in plant pathogens along with application of double stranded ribonucleic acids (dsRNAs)/ small interfering ribonucleic acids (siRNAs) or spray-induced gene silencing (SIGS), technology termed as non-transformative RNAi technology are promising approaches that can be applied to increase agricultural productivity through protection against diseases

 

Biodegradable Plastics : -

Bio-based and biodegradable plastics are coming up as sustainable solutions to replace non-biodegradable polymers. Monomers extracted or synthesized from biomass can be polymerized to biodegradable plastics such as polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), cellulose, and starch.

Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB), a PHA polymer, is the most commonly used bioplastic with brittle and highly crystalline characteristic similar to that of polypropylene (synthetic plastic). Other bioplastics include polysaccharides developed using potatoes, corn, and rice for starch production; polypeptides using plant and animal proteins such as collagens; cellulose from trees and cotton; or PHA using genetically modified microorganisms

Along with the replacement of non-biodegradable plastics in food and packaging industries, bioplastics can also be used in medical arena specifically for drug delivery systems, wound healing products and surgical implant devices. Biodegradable polymers can also be applied to aid several human body functions, such as embracing cells to create tissues, cell signaling, moderate the skin’s hydration and elasticity, lubrication of gastrointestinal tracts and protection from pathogens

 

 

Bio-enzymes: -

Climate change along with population explosion require fundamental changes in chemical and energy sectors to accelerate the production rate and reduce carbon footprint. One technology adopted by major chemical companies is biocatalysis, using natural or engineered microbial enzymes to ensure environmental sustainability. These microbial or natural enzymes addressed as bio-enzyme/ trash enzyme/ fruit enzymes aid in replacing the usage of chemical compounds in an affordable, healthy and sustainable manner. Bio-enzymes can be synthesized through fermentation by utilizing agri-wastes rich in sugars. Bio-enzymes include proteases, lipases, amylases, cellulases and many more.

 

Importance of Microbes:-

Microbes are the factories of enzymes including cellulases, hemicellulases, amylases, lipases, proteases, pectinases, inulinases, chitinases, laccases, glucose isomerases, each having industrial significance. Microbial enzymes have proved to be potential candidates in industrial sectors of food, feed, pharmaceutical, alcohol, biofuel, agriculture, textile, leather, sweeteners, flavors, bioremediation, solid waste management and even in medicinal field as bioenzyme based nanomedicides.

Cytochrome P450 are class of novel enzymes that are used to convert plant waste into sustainable and value-added products such as nylon, plastics, chemicals, and fuels, along with their role in bioremediation against various pollutants. Modern genetic tools and omic techniques are further increasing the spectrum of novel enzymes from both cultural and non-culturable microbes.